Japanese whaling group says it intends to resume hunts

Japan has long maintained that most whale species are in no danger of extinction and scientific whaling is necessary to manage what it sees as a marine resource that, after World War Two, was an important protein source for an impoverished nation.

BUT!!!! Nobody eats the bloody stuff! Gees! Furthermore, World War Two finished 70 odd years ago and Japan is far from being an impoverished nation! It's time for other countries to get tough with these morons and start slapping sanctions on Japan until they give up this farce and stop wasting tax payers' money! Let's hope they do drop out of the IWC altogether, then they will be nothing more than poachers and their ships will be impounded!

Why don't they finish those meet they stored up in the freezer first and then decide what to do? Not good enough to store up the whale meat until the market is viable. I don't think that will ever happen.

I do and I like it. There will be no HariHari Nabe or Saezuri in Kantodaki without whale meat. I also like Onomi sashimi.

So, you want to continue doing something almost the whole world is against and you hate being blocked by the SS or other eco warriors, then WHY would you wanna announce continuing the hunt?............

Whaling is a dying industry, and I hope will it be extinct before some species are.

Japan would be very silly not to capitalise on ICJ decision as a way of saving face.

Since when did Japan start listening to the rest of the world. It's just not in their nature. Hence the reason they are descending into being regarded as backwards in many ways. Work for any Japanese company and note the resistance to any change no matter how productive it may be.

Go for it, whalers! - As long as you do not receive any tax dollars, and as long as you take responsibility for breaking international rules when they come back to hit Japan in the face. Otherwise, go for it!

In its ruling, the ICJ said no further licenses should be issued for scientific whaling, in which animals are first examined for research purposes before the meat is sold, noting that the research objectives had to be sufficient to “justify the lethal sampling”.

I have to help Thomson Reuters out with their contradicting themselves. The ICJ did NOT say no further licenses should be issued for scientific whaling. They only struck out JARPA II specifically.

Indeed the judgment said that it goes without saying that IWC members should take into consideration the reasoning of the ICJ ruling when considering to grant new permits.

At the time of the court ruling, observers said that one possibility could indeed be for Japan to scale back its whaling plan and submit a new proposal for approval by the ICJ.

Genius observers - they only had to read the ICJ judgment (or JT comments) to figure that much out.

Disillusioned I actually eat whale. It tastes really good in the raw form. I have a problem with killing whales in another countries waters though. I see whales like all animals, they are here for a reason. If they are not eaten then they do what? Swim around... If humans can have a more enjoyable life by enjoying delicious foods then I think it is better.As a matter of fact I will buy some tonight, before the cost goes through the roof.

Just stop whaling.

Cortes-Elijah - There's 5,000 tons of it stored in freezers in Japan. That should keep you and the other ten whale eaters going for a while. Japan can catch adequate amounts of whale in its immediate waters to satisfy the ever decreasing market for whale meat. There is no need to continue the southern ocean hunt.

Japan, so much class.

"We are not amused..."

Disillusioned,

I feel sure I'll be thumbed down for posting this, but here goes anyway!

nigelboy posted a link to unsold whale meat numbers previously, it was 2,400 tons. When I checked the numbers now I found there were only 1 989 tons at the end of February. See for yourself: http://www.market.jafic.or.jp/suisan/file/reizo/2014/09_syuyou_2014_02.pdf

So doing a simple mental exercise, since your 5,000 tons had become 1,989 tons, it suggests that some people have eaten 3,000 tons of whale meat. E.g., maybe there is a market for whale meat after all, which might explain why the Japanese government doesn't want to give up on Antarctic whaling forever? I'm just throwing this possibility out there, based on the actual numbers, trying to understand it all. After all, when this court decision was announced, the first thing the TV stations did was visit restaurants serving whale to ask them about it.

How else is the whaling industry going to spend all the millions of dollars that they received from March 11 disaster donations? - Once again, they have proved to have 二つの顔 Futatsu no kao Disgraceful, and I hope Sea Shepherd send more boats to stop the whalers! My now much larger donation is on the way!

yep exactly my thoughts Ed, if the whaler can say FY to the rest of the world then im going to make an extra big donation to SS before the next hunt begins. yes you can say what you like about SS but there the only group that has proven record of stopping whales being slaughtered. Australia NZ ICJ all was a waste of time/money, it would have been better donated to SS so they can buy a few more boats to say FY back to the whalers. anybody who cares about the oceans whales will donate also, GIVE EM HELL SS, LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!

fxgaiAPR. 15, 2014 - 07:25PM JST nigelboy posted a link to unsold whale meat numbers previously, it was 2,400 tons. When I checked the numbers now I found there were only 1 989 tons at the end of February. See for yourself:

The reason is the whaling group keeps sending the meat to the elementary school in some futile hopes that the children can continue eating them and get accustomed to the taste. Really no brainer. Sociopathy at its finest.

Japan, the world is laughing at you.

You just can't keep a determined scientist away from his science.

"...after World War Two, was an important protein source for an impoverished nation."

So, hang on... not only is this proving it's not at all for science, but it's also proving it is not the 'ancient culture' the apologists make it out to be. Oops! Guess they're not going to abide by the ruling at all, with those excuses.

What's the betting there's a hunt this year too?

So isn't it obvious to the world that Japan is a world unto itself except when the atomic bombs fell over Nagasaki and Hiroshima?

Japan acting like the spoilt child in the sand pit yet again.

None of the apologists can EVER complain about money troubles or taxes so long as they support a dead industry for the sake of nationalism.

This is really getting stupid. Cut the subsidies and end the discussion. If you really want to get the job done tell any captain their license will be revoked if they take a whaling vessel south of Okinawa. Come on Abe, get serious about foreign policy!

Fxgai - Those statistics are the fudged Japanese statistics. They are nowhere near the real statistics that are quoted by the non-governmentally sanctioned news agencies. However, whether it is 5,000 tons or 2,000 tons, either way it proves there is not a substantial market for whale meat in Japan and no sound economical reason to continue wasting millions of tax payers' dollars on their southern ocean whale hunt, right? They can kill as many whales as they like, but if there is no market to sell it commercial whaling will never be viable. This is the complete lunacy and idiocy of the Japanese whaling program. There are ample whale stocks in the oceans around Japan to supply the market of the 20 or so individuals who will actually eat this rubbish. Somehow, they think the southern ocean is some untapped commercial gold mine, but if nobody is gonna buy it there is no reason to kill the whales in the first place. It is absolutely ridiculous!

Let's hope they do drop out of the IWC altogether, then they will be nothing more than poachers and their ships will be impounded!

No, if they drop out of the IWC then the moratorium won't apply to them and the sanctuary won't apply to them and they won't have to follow the reserach requirement of Article VIII. They will be free to LEGALLY take as many whales of whatever species they want.

then WHY would you wanna announce continuing the hunt?

Well if they don't intend to continue the hunt then their court case against Sea Shepherd becomes moot. Also they are required to give notice of any whale hunt and any ships headed to the Southern Ocean.

and I hope will it be extinct before some species are.

None of the whale soecies being hunted are in danger of extinction.

I feel sure I'll be thumbed down for posting this, but here goes anyway!

Yes, unfortunately telling the truth and posting facts here often results in thumbs down. Of course the people giving those thumbs down actually feel that it means someting.

that they received from March 11 disaster donations?

They didn't receive a single dollar from March 11 disater donations.

So, hang on... not only is this proving it's not at all for science, but it's also proving it is not the 'ancient culture' the apologists make it out to be. Oops!

Nope the statement proves neither of those things.

All I know is... if Japan is allowed to hunt whales then so should everybody be allowed.... and you know what would happen then. Japan's outright selfishness on the whaling issue is childish and self centered.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain

An attempt to save face.

arrogance... know no bounds of reality.

Surely Japan knows better than to make a mockery of the ICJ ruling? I won't believe it until I see it. Japan isn't stupid and I don't think they will actually resume hunts.

Disillusioned,

Fxgai - Those statistics are the fudged Japanese statistics.

Oh. They looked pretty official to me, but if there is evidence that (for some reason) Japan fudges it's own official statistics, perhaps you can bring me up to speed?

They are nowhere near the real statistics that are quoted by the non-governmentally sanctioned news agencies.

Oh. Here was me thinking they were just reporting information. So what is the news agencies' source of "real statistics"? How do they gather such information? Thanks in advance.

However, whether it is 5,000 tons or 2,000 tons, either way it proves there is not a substantial market for whale meat in Japan and no sound economical reason to continue

Well look, before iPhones were created there wasn't even a market for those at all. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I know whether or not a specific business is going to succeed or fail. Whether it is economical or not to continue, to my mind, is best left to free markets to determine (rather than to politicians who always find a way to screw virtually everything up).

So if someone can find a way to make a business out of it (on a sustainable basis of course - I'm against any whaling that would endanger whales), then I'm all for it. Japan needs any economic growth it can muster.

That the politicians haven't yet made a decision is a message to Kyodo Senpaku to stump up the bribes.

They just do what they want don`t they?

if Japan is allowed to hunt whales then so should everybody be allowed....

Everyone is allowed.

and you know what would happen then

Well since everyone is already allowed I would guess that what would happen is exactly what is happening.

Surely Japan knows better than to make a mockery of the ICJ ruling? I won't believe it until I see it. Japan isn't stupid and I don't think they will actually resume hunts.

How is resuming hunting a mockery of the ruling? Especially when the ruling itself acknowledges the probablity that Japan or some other IWC member will issue future permits for research whaling. The ruling looked at one specific research plan and found it deficient. Rewriting a new plan that addresses those deficiencies isn't mockery. If the building inspector finds deficiencies in construction you don't give up on building, you correct the deficiencies.